Printers / Scanners

3D printing is a manufacturing process where successive layers of material are laid down on top of each other in an additive process. Although 3D printing is often spoken of as a new technology, it has actually been around for over 30 years. Around a decade ago, patents around 3D printing began to expire and it was opened up to mass audiences, with previously large industrial machines now being available in more compact desktop designs.

3D printers enable cost-effective modelling and prototyping from digital design applications. They vary in size and speed of printing and the types of filaments they take.

A multifunction printer (MFP) or all-in-one (AIO) printer can not only print but also has the ability to scan documents and copy them too. Some MFPs also have the ability to act as a fax. This is desirable as it reduces the need for multiple device es such as standalone document scanners and photocopiers - thus saving space and costs.

The printing system is based on inkjet technology utilising laser cartridges to reproduce text and images. They can be connected to a PC via USB or shared on a network using Ethernet or WiFi.

Inkjet printers each feature a print head containing thousands of tiny holes, and these tiny openings drop microscopic droplets of ink onto the paper. Inkjet machines use a liquid ink produced either by either a coloured dye or a liquid that contains solid pigments in suspension. As the print head moves horizontally in the machine, the paper passes through perpendicular to it. As the page passes through, the individual holes in the print head are activated (usually by heat or electrical current depending on the manufacturer) and a small drop of ink is pushed out onto the page. This process is performed at high speed with thousands of droplets forming together to recreate the digital text or image that is being transferred onto the paper. To the naked eye, the overall image looks to be solid because the dots are so tiny.

Barcode printers produce barcode labels which can be attached to other objects such as in a warehouse or shop. Barcode printers use either direct thermal or thermal transfer techniques to apply ink to labels. Thermal transfer printers use ink ribbons to apply the barcode directly into the label, while thermal transfer printers use heat to blacken the barcode onto the label.

Colour laser and LED printers work in a similar way to inkjet printers in that the image is made up of lots of tiny dots, which, when viewed as a whole, appear to be a solid image. However, the method in which the tiny dots make their way onto the paper is vastly different. Where an inkjet uses liquid dots, a laser printer uses dots made up of toner – a fine powder of solid particles. When compared with an inkjet machine, lasers are much more complex. These machines rely on many more stages during the process than inkjet. In simple terms, the basic process uses a light source (laser / LED), drum (for mono) or multiple drums (for colour) and toner.

These printers can be connected to your PC PC via USB or shared on a network using Ethernet or WiFi.

These printers are for A3 large format printing and can be all-in-one (AIO) designs combining printing, scanning and copying functions, or just standalone printing. They are based on inkjet technology utilising several ink tanks to reproduce text and images.

These A3 printers can be connected to your PC via USB or shared on a network using Ethernet or WiFi.